SECURITY AND FOREIGN ACTION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF THE EXTERNAL DIMENSION OF THE AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY AND JUSTICE

Abstract

This article examines security and defence in the European Union fromits founding treaties to the present. Some of the major aspects coveredinclude NATO's role in the incorporation of security and defence intothe integration process, the fall of the Soviet bloc and the disappearanceof the Cold War military threat.One of the aspirations behind the founding of the European Communitywas the search for lasting peace. Common security and defencebecame part of the legal framework of the European Union with signatureof the Treaty of Lisbon.The European Area of Freedom, Security and Justice is one of themechanisms in the shared efforts and cooperation to ensure the securityof the continent.